Internal prototype — noindexed, not linked from public navigation yet.

Md. Code, Public Safety § 6-315

This is the official text of Md. Code, Public Safety § 6-315, part of Maryland’s Code, Public Safety — governs police, fire, and emergency services.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

§6–315.

Official statutory text

(a) The State Fire Marshal, a designee of the State Fire Marshal, a full-time fire investigator who is a member of a fire department, or a police officer may apply to a judge of the District Court or a circuit court for an administrative search warrant to enter a vehicle, building, or premises where a fire has occurred to conduct a search to determine the cause and origin of the fire.

(b) An application under subsection (a) of this section shall:

(1) be in writing;

(2) be signed and sworn to by the applicant; and

(3) particularly describe the vehicle, building, or premises to be searched and the nature, scope, and purpose of the search to be performed by the applicant.

(c) A judge of the District Court or a circuit court may issue the warrant on finding that:

(1) a fire of undetermined origin has occurred;

(2) the scope of the proposed search is reasonable and will not intrude unnecessarily on the fire victim’s privacy;

(3) the search will be executed at a reasonable and convenient time; and

(4) the owner, tenant, or other individual in charge of the property has denied access to the property, or after making a reasonable effort, the applicant has been unable to locate any of these individuals.

(d) (1) An administrative search warrant issued under this section shall specify the vehicle, building, or premises to be searched.

(2) The search conducted may not exceed the limits specified in the warrant.

(e) An administrative search warrant issued under this section shall be executed and returned to the judge who issued it within:

(1) the time specified in the warrant, not exceeding 30 days; or

(2) if no time period is specified in the warrant, 15 days after its issuance.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

Need a lawyer in Maryland?

Find a Maryland lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.